CHARLOTTE — The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is investigating after a car drove in front of a business early Thursday morning.
The incident occurred around 1:30 a.m. at a tobacco and vape shop on University Point Boulevard. Several police vehicles and officers were at the scene.
The store's owner told Channel 9 that the thieves drove a car through the front of the store and into the store. A police report confirmed that information. The car that crashed into the building was a Kia that had been stolen from Drive Time, a used car dealership.
“We were just in the middle of repairing it and almost getting it back like new, but apparently they thought it would be OK again, so they came back,” the manager explained.
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Owner Faris Abdullah said he was frustrated because the same thing happened the night before.
He said the store was family-run and had surveillance cameras in place, but he hoped police could identify the suspect.
“They came back and did the exact same thing, drove their car in front of the store and stole some e-cigs,” he said.
“It's honestly ridiculous that we're doing this much damage just to steal hundreds of dollars' worth of product. This time it cost us even more. I think it's probably tens of thousands of dollars worth of product.” Masu.”
The suspects stole $1,000 worth of tobacco products and caused more than $20,000 in damage, according to a police report on the incident. Abdullah said this may have been in retaliation for an earlier crackdown on local students.
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“There are kids from school across the road and they come in. Usually we kick them out, but sometimes they come in. Someone is working alone and they come around the corner and do something. I try to grab it,” Abdullah said.
“Action 9'' reported on the theft problem at Kia Motors and Hyundai Motors. At one point last year, CMPD announced that these manufacturers accounted for more than half of all vehicles stolen in Charlotte, an increase of nearly 20 times from the previous year.
For Abdullah, it's just a nuisance.
“Everything is new, including the boards, and the rest was still waiting for the glass to be installed. The back wall was just installed yesterday and is brand new,” he said. “So we'll have to do it again.”
Channel 9's Evan Donovan told DriveTime. A spokesperson said the car was not purchased from a dealer, so the owner listed in the police report is likely only the car's previous owner.
Abdullah said he was in contact with the shopping center's property manager to beef up security. He believes this case will move these efforts forward.
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